as in tried
to make an effort to do
after attempting—and failing—to start the lawn mower on my own, I finally succeeded with a neighbor's help don't even attempt walking on your broken foot
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Recent Examples of attempted
Williams attempted 26 passes last year, with his most extensive action coming in the second half of the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl loss to Iowa State.
—
Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Federal officials claim Good attempted to use her vehicle as a weapon against officers.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
The teacher attempted restraining the student by turning the student's coat backwards, with the zipper on the back.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025
Hermann Nitsch crucified lambs and bulls, and Joseph Beuys attempted cohabitation with a coyote.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attempted
Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Federal officials claim Good attempted to use her vehicle as a weapon against officers.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
The teacher attempted restraining the student by turning the student's coat backwards, with the zipper on the back.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025
Hermann Nitsch crucified lambs and bulls, and Joseph Beuys attempted cohabitation with a coyote.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attempted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attempted
tried
Verb
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On third-and-1 with seven seconds left, Schakel took the snap and tried to spike the ball, which would have stopped the clock and given his team one final play to go for the win.—
Alex Valdes,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Soika, a surgeon, unsuccessfully tried to book a rental car to get to Utah for a weekend trip before settling on an option that seemed straight out of Hollywood.—
JOSH FUNK,
Arkansas Online,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Attempted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attempted. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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